


The Fridge

by avianbrother



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Mann vs. Machine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 22:29:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20199205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avianbrother/pseuds/avianbrother
Summary: With the looming threat of robot armies, Engie takes a moment to reminisce and look at the memories taped to the fridge.





	The Fridge

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this to TF2chan back in 2015 and found it again when going through my files. I have many fond memories of TF2 (it was one of my first fandoms!) and I hope this fic gives the warm fuzzies to whoever reads it, whether you've been here for years or came fashionably late to the party.

Robots. Who would have thought? The Engineer lifted his goggles and rubbed his eyes, vision blurring from staring too long at blueprints and drafts. New enemies meant new upgrades, which meant more work on Engie’s part. Schematics and papers spilled across his worktables and crumpled rejects overflowed from the trash bin. 

Perhaps it was lack of sleep that made it so hard to focus. Perhaps it was the fact their jobs were on the line. Maybe it was the threat of the family that had formed disappearing. Whatever the reason, Engie wasn’t getting any work done tonight. He organized his things, stacking papers and packing away tools. There was the possibility that they would have to leave Teufort, abandon the base in favor of defending better locations. Engie stowed away whatever wasn’t of immediate use in crates, in case it ever came down to that. Dusting off his hands, Engie turned around and nearly collided with Pyro.

“Sweet baby Christ, Pyro, don’t scare a man like that,” said Engie, shaking his head. A lesser man would have jumped, but he was used to spies sneaking up on him. Pyro merely tilted his head, blank circles staring back at him. Engie sighed and started for his room. With any luck, he’d finally get some shuteye. 

A gloved hand stopped him, tugging on his sleeve. Engie looked over his shoulder to see Pyro holding a drawing scribbled in bright crayon. Taking the drawing, Engie cracked a smile.

“This another one of yours, Pyro?” Pyro nodded. “Well then, I’d say it’s good enough to go on the fridge, don’t you think?” Pyro hopped up and down, mumbling excitedly.

They walked up from Engie’s garage to the team’s living quarters. Hazy light filtered in through the windows, the sun barely beginning to peak over the horizon, and Engie wondered just how much sleep he was gonna get. 

A single light dangled from the ceiling in the kitchen, occasionally flickering. It was a decent size room, but didn’t seem like it, the space mostly filled by mismatched chairs and the large table that somehow managed to seat all nine of them. The once gleaming fridge stood right beside it, its surface completely covered in memories. Well, almost completely. Engie grabbed a magnet and stuck the drawing to the front. Pyro made a noise that sounded like it could have been giggle. He kissed Engie by pressing the filter of his gasmask against the Texan’s cheek. Then he went off on his merry way, humming a vaguely menacing tune.

The Engineer chuckled, a little less weary than he was before, and gazed at the old fridge in front of him. It was a collage, a team effort; pieces contributed by everyone at some time or another and held up by the tacky plastic fruit magnets he had bought on a whim. 

There were many photos of hijinks and achievements. A particular one caught his eye, taken on their first day at Coldfront. He and Sniper were on the train platform, shivering and huddled like penguins; bundled up in so many scarves and layers they looked like marshmallows. Heavy had taken that one, laughing afterwards and slapping them on the back good naturedly. Engie still blushed in embarrassment whenever someone brought it up, but it was rather funny in hindsight.

Another photo showed the water fight they held one very hot summer day. Scout, Soldier, and Pyro had conspired together, ambushing the rest of the team with water balloons, water guns, and hoses. The trio sprayed the team down then dashed off. It turned into a full blown battle, Engie modifying water guns while Sniper climbed up into high spots to chuck balloons down on everyone. Heavy and Medic paired up while Demo used his launcher to spit balloons at their heads. Spy was the last one to get sucked into the fun, holding out until the entire team ganged up on him, drenching him with water. The picture captured him mid-throw, arm cocked back, his suit soaked through and balaclava askew, ready to pelt Scout with a balloon. He had a genuine smile on his face that Engie mirrored as he thought back to that day. 

Scattered across the fridge were medals and badges that Soldier awarded to each of them. The ‘badges’ were made from bottle caps, flattened tin cans, bits of scrap, and anything Soldier managed to get his hands on. He painted them in golds and silvers and attached bits of ribbon or felt to them. Achievements like “Most Reliable” and “Didn’t Blow Up Today” were written on each medal, along with “Not Useless” and “Crushed Enemy Team.” Soldier presented every single one with pride, congratulating his teammates on a job well done. Eventually the eye rolling and sarcastic comments from the team stopped, and the medals became accepted as a custom, whether or not anyone did anything to deserve it. 

While there were many medals, there were plenty more drawings. A few were charcoal, but most were the same colorful crayon. Drawings filled with blue and pink bubbly shapes. Drawings swirling with reds and orange and blues. And others that sent shivers down the spine and were unsettling at best. Engie recognized pictures that he or other teammates had done at the insistence of the little pyromaniac; little self-portraits or doodles of themselves that Pyro added himself into. 

The new addition was in the middle of everything. It ties it all together, thought Engie as he studied the piece. All the classes stood as one, facing off against a mass of robots. It was silly, really. Childish. And yet…

Engie looked around the room, staring at the place where they shared their meals and laughed and talked. The walls had scorch marks and holes messily patched, and the table had deep scratches from melee weapons. Tuna cans sat on the counter, food for the stray cats that wandered the base. Engie inhaled the familiar scent of cooking grease and ash that never seemed to fade. After fighting and living under one roof, he grew attached to this little team, and this was their home. 

A quiet mew drew his attention, and he looked down to see a scruffy black and white kitten rubbing against his leg. The strays weren’t fixed, and sometimes the team would catch balls of fluff skittering about. Engie smiled and picked up the tiny creature. It purred as he gently stroked it. He set it in the pouch on his belt, patting its head. 

Engie headed for the hallway then stopped. He turned back to the fridge, brow furrowed in thought. He pulled Pyro’s drawing off the fridge, looking at it for a moment before folding it up and sticking it in his pocket. He walked away and flicked off the light.

**Author's Note:**

> https://ko-fi.com/avianbrother


End file.
